The Dallas Morning News March 21, 2003
War different this time with satellite-guided 'smart bombs'
By Reese Dunklin
When American warships and stealth bombers fired on Iraqi leaders to start the war against Saddam Hussein, the weapons of choice were state-of-the-art, satellite-guided missiles that have been touted as key enhancements from the first Persian Gulf conflict.
The United States and its allies have been expected to unleash a barrage of bombs - several thousand during the invasion's opening days - at key Iraqi installations and other desert hazards before troops move on Baghdad.
The strategy - not unlike Operation Desert Storm in 1991 - is bolstered this round by more accurate, sophisticated missiles and bombs that will arm a larger array of planes, helicopters and ships, analysts and officials said.
The improvements mean roughly 80 percent of the munitions fired by the U.S.-led coalition will be "smart bombs" with technologically advanced systems developed or fine-tuned in battles after Desert Storm. Precision-guided missiles made up about 10 percent of the bombs dropped in the first Gulf War.
"That's a pretty revolutionary increase," said defense analyst Bob Martinage of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. "It's why the war will be different this time."
The weaponry at the disposal of allied commanders ranges from souped-up Tomahawk cruise missiles that can change targets midflight to experimental "e-bombs" that emit billions of electrical volts designed to disable circuits, computers and phones without hurting people. All the missiles can be fired from long range throughout the Middle East region.
But at the forefront of the arsenal will be the Joint Direct Attack Munition, a kit fitting missile with tail fins and a small computer. The JDAM is programmed with a target's location and, using satellite signals from the Global Positioning System, guides itself to within 10 meters or closer.
Another draw of the JDAM system - used in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan with high precision - is that it can hit targets amid ground cover, smoke, clouds or inclement weather. A shortcoming of the laser-guided bombs used in Desert Storm was inaccuracy.
Lt. Col. Christy Nolta, an Air Force spokeswoman, said planes and bombers will "rely fairly heavily" on the precision-guided missiles because, in part, they could minimize civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure needed during a reconstruction of Iraq. Some political analysts have suggested opposition to the war could intensify if significant numbers of civilians or U.S. troops are killed.
"The more precise we are," Col. Nolta said, "the better we'll be at preventing collateral damage."
Retired Army Lt. Col. Piers Wood, a senior fellow at the nonprofit policy group globalsecurity.org, said it's hard to predict whether the tech-savvy missiles will achieve the "shock and awe" impact Pentagon leaders seek.
"The key that I think you can bet the farm on is you're going to get at least the same effect as the first Gulf War, which was great, but with fewer civilian casualties," he said.
GRAPHIC: CHART(S): (Staff graphic) 'SMART BOMB' ARSENAL
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